To continue in the spirit of our favorite month of the year–No Shave November–we bring to you today a redbearded wonder hailing from Jacksonville, Florida: Meet Matthew. We were fortunate enough to encounter Matthew and his amazing sweetheart Wendy and their daughter Dailyn at the Gentleman of the Road music tour in St. Augustine, Florida in September. Matthew has been growing his impressive beard since November 1st, 2012, and has no plans to stop: he explained to us, that, as he told his employer, it’s against his religion to shave, as his religion is Man. We’ll happily apply for membership into The Church of the Beard any day. Wendy told us she is quite fond of Matthew’s bad-ass beard, though it does get tiring fending off the attention her man’s mane garners. Matthew, who designs office interiors for a company in Jacksonville, told us his friends affectionately call him Mountain Man and we tend to agree: He’d fit right in with the bearded brotherhood in Denver! Like a woman with a pregnant belly, Matthew has to handle aggressive admirers who are often a little too eager to caress his beard, but we sympathize with the adoring public; it’s hard to resist such a work of art! Thanks Matthew, Wendy, and Dailyn, you made our magical musical weekend a little sweeter!

Occasionally, the ladies of Beards of Denver spread their wings and head out on a beard hunt in foreign lands. In September, adventures took the ladies of B of D away from our haven of landlocked mountain majesty to the ocean-enveloped locale dubbed St. Augustine, Florida to attend the Gentleman of the Road music tour and see Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Justin Townes Earle, & many other fabulous musicians perform. With an event dubbed “Gentleman of the Road” you may not be surprised to learn there were a plethora of bearded concert-goers, including Ross, pictured here with Stephanie, a dear friend of the Ladies of B of D. And since both gingerbeards and true gingers are particularly close to our hearts here at Beards of Denver, we couldn’t resist posting these two firery redheads together! Ross, who hails from the panhandle of Florida, has been growing his red-bearded mane for nearly a year. A Certified Public Account for Warren Averett, he dedicated much of his Christmas break in 2012 to the beginnings of his beard, and we can’t think of a better holiday gift to the world than an increase in the number of gingerbeards. Luckily for the universe, Ross’ place of employment welcomed his beard with open arms when he returned to work after the holiday season. Ross’ lovely wife Brianne wasn’t a fan of his beard initially but now has fully gotten on board to support his beard. If Ross and Anne could drive six hours for a weekend of music, we have no doubt Ross’ beard dedication will last for several years into the future. Thanks Ross! We like Florida more now.

It’s Movember, Beards of Denver faithful, and to kick it off right we bring you a magnificent, yet modest, mustache! Meet Macon, who has been growing his stellar ‘stache for over two years. Originally from Houston, Macon’s been a Coloradoan since 2001 and a Denverite since 2007. He told us the best part of sporting his ‘stache is that people buy him drinks all the time, and the worst part is that everyone wants to talk about it (guilty as charged) particularly bros, kids, and cougars (why are we not surprised about the cougars? Look at that face!) In fact, Macon’s been beckoned by cougars who asked him if mustache rides are free. Ladies, take note: Please buy the gentleman a drink first!While most people admire his mustache, occasionally bros are aggressive; he even got called out on the 16th Street mall recently. Obviously, that person needed to feel the ‘stache love! Speaking of love, Macon said his sweethearts are a fan of his ‘stache, and are always surprised at how soft it is, which may be due to the fact he waxes it almost everyday with mustache wax a friend gave him called Mr. Mustard’s Magnificent Magical Mustache Manicuring Miracle Wax (say that five times fast), which he keeps in his pocket right next to his Altoids. We love that dedication to the ‘stache.Macon’s mom and sis like his ‘stache more than when he had his beard, as they want to see those gorgeous cheekbones! Understandable, ladies. Macon told us when he rocked his beard it was really wiry, but he figured it was a good way to find a great lady: If a girl loved him with his big, wiry, ridiculous beard she must really love him. We’re just glad at least the ‘stache lives on.Besides growing that superb ‘stache, Macon is a professional musician, playing upright bass and guitar in a few bands in town, including the wonderful band Paper Bird (who we’re big fans of here at Beards of Denver). Additionally, he just started a record label, Collectible Records, which had its first release the end of September. He also dabbles in landscaping, carpentry, and soon pedi-cabbing. We predict people will be lining up to get a pedi-cab ride from this ‘stache! If you see Macon around, perhaps just give him a knowing nod of appreciation; he likes that his ‘stache is well-received but doesn’t always need to talk about it. Duly noted, and most appreciated. Thanks Macon!

Occasionally here at Beards of Denver we are fortunate enough to feature some of our good buddies and their bomb beards, and such is the case today. Beards of Denver lovelies, meet Kyle. Residing in Denver now for over eight years, Kyle’s a true local Denver bearded gem. Kyle’s beard represents his beard-growing effort over the entire summer, and this is the longest his beard has ever been in his life, and we certainly applaud and support this beard dedication! When we snapped this pic of Kyle in mid-September he was, sadly, planning to trim his beard to attend a wedding, but don’t fear, beard-adoring public: Kyle always participates in Movember (where he usually sports an impressive handlebar ‘stache) and is planning to Beard Up again for the winter (we’d have to have a serious talk if this wasn’t the case). Kyle’s lovely mother, who also lives in the Denver area, does not approve of his beard because she thinks the ladies won’t like it; luckily, we can prove that theory wrong right here and now! Kyle fully embraces the grey featured in his beard, as we believe he should. When he’s not attending to his facial hair Kyle competes locally in Olympic weightlifting, where there is some precedent for awesome facial hair, and we’re certainly glad this strong man is joining the bearded-muscle ranks. Thanks Kyle! Can’t wait to see what Movember holds.

The Ladies of Beards of Denver are always ready, willing, and able to meet an impressive bearded man, but it was a first to meet a fabulous bearded man whose name IS Ready, but that’s just what we’ve got for you today. Ready, who we encountered at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom in Denver while waiting for the band Shel to perform, proudly declared that he hasn’t shaved in five or six years, hence his burly mane. His beard is generated largely from laziness, and we don’t mind one bit. Ready said he can easily keep his beard long and luxurious because he’s been traveling so much: he lives in upstate New York and was visiting Denver to attend all three Phish shows at the end of August, and then was planning to head to South America. When asked his mom’s opinion of his beard, Ready shared that she doesn’t like it much because she thinks it makes him look “old and scruffy.” Move to Denver, Ready, where the beard love is unabashed and literally ready to embrace you!

Beards of Denver fans, we bring you today a Denver dude who has stayed true to the beard tradition even being literally thousands of miles away: meet Preston, who has been living in Afghanistan since January 2013. Preston contacted B of D from the base of the northern Afghanistan mountains (through the power of the mighty Facebook) and we are ever-so-glad he did. Preston is a true beard-liever, as even the summer heat of Afghanistan was no match for he and his beard; it stayed all summer, and he even proudly stated, “If I won’t shave my beard for a girl, Afghanistan stands no chance.” Preston is a fairly recent Denver transplant, moving to the Five Points neighborhood of our wonderful city in November 2012, and if all goes as planned he will be back in town shortly after the new year. Preston relocated to Denver for many fantastic reasons, including the abundance of sunshine allowing for long motorcycle rides with his beard blowing in the wind, as well as the many options for skiing and riding: this beard does them both! Having formerly served in the Air Force for six years, Preston now flies UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) for a company and this allows him to live, and grow his beard, where he chooses. He can’t wait to come back home to Denver and enjoy the craft beer, mountain biking, camping, and of course, get many more compliments on that gorgeous beard. This photo featuring Preston and his beard documents his recent “YEARD” achievement: the first time he has ever let his beard grow a full year! We could not be prouder, and approve of that cigar of celebration. Take care Preston and can’t wait to admire that beard in person when you’re back in D-Town!

Here in Denver, we are fortunate for so many reasons. We have tons of breweries from which to sample so much frothy deliciousness; we are able to get around on bikes almost anywhere in our wonderful city; and every night of the week there are a multitude of great live music choices to see. It is at one of our favorite venues, the Larimer Lounge, where we met Nate and his stop-you-in-your-tracks beard. We were there to see two wonderful bands–Shel out of Fort Collins and Whiskey Shivers out of Austin–and were pleasantly surprised to meet Nate between sets. Nate has been growing his amazing mane on and off since 2004, and has lived in Denver about 13 years. When he’s not playing the role of volunteer roadie for Shel he works at Renegade Publik House in Denver, which features many of the aforementioned delicious brews. Nate said his mom has a love/hate relationship with his beard (clearly we need to get her over to our side of pure appreciation) and–get ready for this ladies–he has no sweetheart!? With a beard like this and that much dapper style, that won’t be the case for long. Thanks Nate! We’ll be by Renegade to see you, and admire that beard of yours, soon!

As fans of Beards of Denver have likely come to know, the Ladies of Beards of Denver are very dedicated to the documentation and appreciation of The Beard. This story may not surprise most of you, then, as The Pursuit of Donald (as we’ll call it) involved chasing him down Broadway (a rather busy Denver thoroughfare) into Sputnik (one of our preferred watering holes) to get the story of his fantastic beard and bring it to you, our much-loved public. Donald and his impressive black beard, were on vacation a few months back in our fair city. From Kansas, Donald told us he had road-tripped to Denver to attend a family reunion and he said his family tolerates his beard because “They know I won’t change.” We would never want you to change that beard, Donald. Not ever. Donald told us his beard originates from laziness and that it also is a mechanism to become instant friends with other dudes with beards, and we can see why. When not attending to his beard, Donald reads a lot of non-fiction and plays a lot of guitar. You can serenade us and read to us by the fire any day Donald, as long as you keep that beard growing! (In case you’re curious, Donald’s bad-ass t-shirt features this band).

When you think of the 1990s, your first thought may not be bad-ass beards, but we are about to seriously change your frame of reference. Meet Mr. Rob Engelberth (left) and Mr. David Sands (right), whom the ladies of Beards of Denver were lucky enough to encounter at a ‘90s house party in Congress Park recently. Between listening to those sweet ‘90s melodies of Blink-182 and Nirvana (and drinking from the keg) we got the skinny on these two buddies and their beards.Mr. Sands was not only sporting his bitchin’ beard at the party, but also duct-taped together Air Jordans (‘90s, represent!) and besides showing off his style, he was also photographing partygoers, as he is the photographer behind David Sands Pictures (that is, when he is not caring for his beard). Speaking of beard-care, Mr. Sands applies coconut oil to his beard weekly under the direction of his lovely sweetheart Rachael, who is his “Beard Manager,” and she adores his beard even though it often smells like food and has ice cream in it (seems like a bonus!) Mr. Sands is a Colorado boy who has been in Denver the past 10 years, and he likes to keep his beard trimmed to about this length as the norm. Rachael has only seen him once clean shaved and “I hated it,” she told us. We knew we loved this woman almost as much as Mr. Sands’ beard.Mr. Engelberth (which means means “Birth of an Angel” in German, in case you were curious) has been in Denver since 2008 and shared with us the history of his mad facial-hair skills, as he was blessed with a full goatee when he was only a strapping young man of 17. Mr. Engelberth works downtown on his bike, and said he keeps his beard all summer because, even when it’s hot out, since he works outdoors, it just feels so damn good. We certainly appreciate and approve of that true-blue beard-dedication. Mr. Eneglberth’s amazing fiancé, Kim, is his number one beard fan and she attempts to help him care for those pesky split ends. A Congress park couple, we’re happy to be neighbors with this bearded gem and his lady. Thanks for keeping the beard pride rollin’, darlins!

It’s not everyday you meet a stand-up beard who also plays the stand-up bass, but the ladies of Beards of Denver were in the right spot at the right time on a recent fine, fall evening to meet Max and admire his ginger-bearded fantasticness. Max, a musician from London, England, currently plays bass and stand-up bass in Tom Odell’s band, and we were lucky enough to hang with Max and his bandmates (curly-haired Max, Matt, and Tom) at Goosetown Tavern after their show at The Bluebird in Denver. Max has been growing his beard for the past three years, and is a firm believer his face looks better bearded. We agree, though his mom isn’t in our same camp, as she wishes he would shave so she can more freely admire his handsome face. Max’s sweetheart, Ann-Marie, is on our side, though, as she is adamantly against Max shaving, and Max loves her the more for it, claiming “She’s the sweetest girl in the world and puts up with me quite a lot.” Such sweet words from such an amazing beard aren’t that surprising, but we imagine Max is a bit easier to put up with while sporting his impressive beard. Luckily, the life of a touring musician seems quite appropriate to continue his bearded-mastery. Look for Max, his beard, and his bandmates on Leno soon, and follow him on Twitter @max_goff for beard and other sure-to-be-intriguing updates. Cheers Max! We’ll happily tip some scotch and fireball back with you anytime you’re back in our lovely Denver.